


of mornings and case files

by ofstarsserene



Category: Miss Scarlet and the Duke (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, s02 wishlist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:06:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofstarsserene/pseuds/ofstarsserene
Summary: William arrives at Eliza’s office and finds her sound asleep at her desk.(aka Eliza being slightly embarrassed and disoriented after an all-nighter and William being soft and fighting his feelings)
Relationships: Eliza Scarlet/William "Duke" Wellington
Comments: 18
Kudos: 174





	of mornings and case files

**Author's Note:**

> how do you guys name fics, because I’m really struggling

William’s knocking is met with nothing but silence. He frowns (surely it’s not too early) and checks his watch again. No, it’s eight, as they agreed. He is not even late this time. When he knocks once more and it doesn’t help, William tries the door anyway. Eliza’s mind has a habit to wonder. She might be deep in thought, too busy to notice him awkwardly shuffling his feet at her door (it pains him to admit that lately she’s been making him more nervous than usual).

The door opens with a soft click, and William is surprised to see that it’s not deep thought that’s keeping Eliza.

It’s deep sleep.

She looks exhausted. William wonders how long she’s been in this position, sleeping at her desk and using her arms as a pillow. Eliza’s head is practically buried by scattered notes and documents, and the sight reminds William of dozens of nights he spent at the station, catching precious minutes of sleep as often as he could. He knows that waking up after a nap like that will surely result in a sore neck. William’s first instinct is to wake her up, but one look at Eliza’s face, her features soft and peaceful in the pale morning light, stops him.

When Eliza is near, it often results in a battle of wits. On rare occasions it’s something different between them, something that William is not sure how to describe, a thin line between a comfortable friendship and feelings that he finds too dangerous to name. Watching Eliza now, her eyes closed and not flashing at him in her usual manner, her delicate form void of her bubbly anxiety, William feels like an intruder, mesmerized by the view.

A lock of Eliza’s hair is out of place. It’s almost an instinct to reach out and gently tuck it behind her ear, and William realises what he’s doing only when Eliza stirs and the movement presses her cheek closer into his hand.

Eliza slowly opens her eyes, and William jerks away, hoping that she didn’t notice whatever just happened (or, if she did, she will think it merely a dream).

“…William?” her voice is quiet and a bit hoarse. “Is that really you?”

Eliza sounds tentative, as if she is not sure whether she is awake or not, and the thought of Eliza seeing him in her dreams makes William’s heart flutter. He has to clear his throat before he can give Eliza a response.

“In the flesh.”

“Oh!” 

Eliza lifts her head too quickly and immediately winces, discomfort plainly evident on her face. She looks up at William, her brows knitting and her eyes trying to blink the sleep away, and William finds the sight impossibly endearing.

“I am so sorry. I thought I had things under control, but…” Eliza’s hands reach up to her hair, and a flush creeps up her face as she tries to comb her locks back into place. “I must look like a mess.”

“No, you look…” William starts, but it takes him a second or two to finish his sentence, because all the words that come to his mind are not something he is ready to express just yet. “Exhausted, that’s for sure.”

If Eliza takes notice of his hesitation, she doesn’t comment on it, and William is grateful.

“What time is it?”

“Eight o’clock.” Perhaps he should leave and give her some space. Perhaps he needs some space himself. “I will come back later if you wish.”

“No, no, please, stay.” Her eyes lock with his for the briefest of moments, and a shy smile forms on Eliza’s lips before William is eventually the one to look away. “I am truly sorry that you had to see me in such disarray.”

“Well, it’s good that it’s me and not one of your clients. Wouldn’t want to compromise your reputation even further.”

Eliza scrunches up her face at his remark, and William’s mouth curves into a half-smile. Teasing her is always entertaining. 

“Too many cases to handle?”

“I can handle them perfectly fine, thank you,” Eliza says, finding her defiant streak once more. Defiant is good. William is used to that. “But there is something I need your opinion on. Just give me a moment.” 

Eliza goes to the table next to the window, and, while she is busy searching for something, William has a perfect opportunity to fully assess the chaos on her desk. She must have had a really tough night if she had tried to look through all these files herself. William flips through some of her notes, and though he doesn’t concentrate on thoroughly reading them, there is one thing that immediately catches his attention. His own name, here and there, in Eliza’s neat handwriting. 

_Ask William about the Carlisle case._

_Wasn’t William investigating this man two weeks ago?_

_William might know something about this._

Seeing his name written down by Eliza’s delicate hand makes William’s heart swell with something akin to happiness.

“Here it is,” Eliza’s voice brings William out of his reverie. Right. He is here to help her with a case.

“Leonard Addams,” Eliza gives William a file to look through. “His sister claims he left town three weeks ago and still hasn’t come back. The purpose of his departure wasn’t clear at first, but it turns out he left to check on his business venture – a business he kept secret from his family. And look who is listed as his main business partner.”

A business partner… More like one of the primary suspects in a recent bank robbery case. Yes, William recognises the name.

“You want me to bring him to the station?”

Eliza beams at him. “I was planning to ask you for the records you have on him, but that would be most helpful, yes.”

“All right. Records I can’t give you, but this discovery of yours gives me a good reason to bring him in for a second chat.”

“And you will let me sit in on it.”

There is a mischievous gleam in Eliza’s eyes, and William raises a brow at her. “Is this a statement or a question? Because it’s supposed to be a question.”

“William, it’s my case.”

He wants to deny it… but it’s technically true. “Fine. But don’t make a habit out of it.”

He can’t believe he is saying yes to this. He swears it won’t become a regular occurrence.

“Thank you,” Eliza is positively glowing at him, blatantly ignoring an irritated frown on his face. “Have you had breakfast yet? Because I’m starving.”

Knowing that dealing with Eliza on an empty stomach is not the best strategy, William made sure to eat a bite or two before their meeting. But if there is a way to bribe Eliza with a nice meal and persuade her to leave this investigation to him, William is not going to miss this opportunity. 

“No,” he lies, “I haven’t, in fact.”

“Good,” Eliza makes her way to the door, case files in hand. “Then we can take our tea and discuss all the necessary details.”

“Lead the way.”

William hopes there will be chocolate cake on the menu. Distracting Eliza with chocolate is his best chance to win.


End file.
